Tuesday, 6^th March 2007

CLICK A BED - MAJOR Success
Online Revenue for Hotels Website Surpasses €10million

Using the Internet to book hotel and guesthouse accommodation offers people the best deals, cheaper prices and is the most important channel for hotels and guesthouses to promote their offering, the President of the Irish Hotels Federation said on the eve of its Annual Conference in Cavan. The IHF stated that the Irelandhotels.com website, its online resource for booking accommodation, has now surpassed €10 million in Internet sales since it was established in 2004. The website, which does not have hidden charges or commission for people when booking, is the most economical site for people to book accommodation in Ireland.

According to Annette Devine, as the site is operated as a not-for-profit enterprise by the IHF on behalf of its members it offers an unrivalled, best value resource to visitors organising holidays and short breaks in Ireland. She stated that the breakdown of users reflected the key markets for Irish tourism:

• Ireland           56%
• UK                 18%
• Europe          13%
• USA               10%
• Other               3%

During 2006, Irelandhotels.com handled some 32,000 room nights worth some €4million to its hotels and guesthouses throughout Ireland north and south. This represented an increase of 35% in room bookings and 29% in revenue on 2005 and the IHF suggests that over €6million in revenue will be generated through the site in 2007.

”Irelandhotels.com has reached a major milestone in driving €10 million in revenues to members since 2004. As an industry, we are seeing an irreversible trend with customers booking their accommodation online and using the Internet to plan and organise their travel experiences while in Ireland. In addition to using Irelandhotels.com to make reservations, travellers frequently use the resource to assess availability prior to making direct inquiries. This translates into a substantial level of follow-on offline sales that are influenced by the website,” said Annette Devine.

She added, “We expect to drive over €6 million of accommodation through Irelandhotels.com during 2007.  Crucial to this success is the fact that Irelandhotels.com is very user friendly. It is designed to easily allow people select accommodation based on categories such as family breaks, golf holidays as well as spa and leisure retreats. It also provides an advanced search facility which identifies for people accommodation based on price range, hotel type and classification, facilities required and destination. In addition to providing unrivalled transparency in terms of availability and price, the website allows users to avail of last minute rates and sign up for notification of special offers,” continued Ms Devine.

Commenting on the success of Irelandhotels.com, Pat Ratcliffe, Chief Executive, In1 Solutions, stated, “The potential of promotion through the Internet is unparalleled. It is far cheaper than producing and distributing thousands of brochures on a property and offers the opportunity for people to have a ‘virtual’ hotel experience of a property and the facilities on offer. It is the growth area for targeting new markets abroad. Internet is also equal opportunities medium, in that the smallest guesthouse competes on an equal footing with the largest hotel, because the potential guest gets a full preview of both premises and makes a booking based on features, attractions and their own budget. It opens up the possibility for the smallest property to compete with the multinational hotels on the world stage.”

Irelandhotels.com is operated by the Irish Hotels Federation in partnership with software solution provider In1 Solutions. Over the past four years, In1 Solutions has worked closely with the IHF to deliver constant innovation and consistently grow customer bookings. Over 70% of Irish hotels and guesthouses in Ireland now use Irelandhotels.com to drive increased bookings and revenue.

FOR INFORMATION:

Siobhan Molloy/Eoin Quinn              Tel: 01 676 0168
Weber Shandwick                             Mobile: 086 8175 066 / 087 2332 191

Irelandhotels.com Statistics

69^th IHF ANNUAL CONFERENCE

• During January 2007 there were over 2,500 bookings through Irelandhotels.com, representing a 118% increase on January 2006. These bookings accounted for over €560,000 in revenue for members and translated into a 116% increase on January 2006.

• During February 2007 there were 3,200 bookings through Irelandhotels.com, representing a 125% increase on February 2006. These bookings accounted for over €700,000 in revenue for members and translated into a 129% increase on February 2007.

• 2007 is already up 122% in terms of bookings and up 123% in revenue terms on 2006.